The contrasting fortunes of two of the UK’s biggest regional publishers have been highlighted in the latest print circulation figures for regional dailies.

The six-monthly figures showing average circulation between 1 January and 30 June this year show an overall decline across the sector of 15.6pc.

However closer analysis of the figures highlights a contrasting picture between the print circulation performance of the two biggest regional publishers. Reach and Newsquest.

All of Newsquest’s daily titles recorded lower circulation drops than any of Reach’s daily titles, with the lowest-ranking Newsquest title outperforming the highest-ranking Reach title in the ‘league table.’

Once again the independently-owned Irish News was the best-performing title both in terms of overall print sales and rate of circulation decline.

It posted an average daily circulation for the first half of  the year of 22,782, down 8.91pc on the figure for the same period in 2023.

The only other title to record a circulation decline of less than 10pc was Newsquest’s Southern Daily Echo, whose circulation fell 8.975pc to stand at 5,767.

Across the sector as a whole, print circulations for the 53 regional dailies included in the figures fell from 368,435 to 311,001 – a drop of 15.6pc.

The figures show only six regional dailies now boast a circulation in excess of 10,000 – the Irish News, Aberdeen Press & Journal, Dundee Courier, Eastern Daily Press, Liverpool Echo and Express & Star.

Titles dropping below 10,000 for the first time were the Yorkshire Post and Aberdeen Evening Express.

The best-performing Reach-owned title in terms of circulation decline was Staffordshire daily The Sentinel, which saw its average daily sale fall 18.2pc to 7,168.

Some of the publisher’s other big-city titles fared even worse with the Coventry Telegraph and Hull Daily Mail losing more than 25pc of their circulation.

By contrast the worst-performing Newsquest title was Carlisle daily the News & Star which posted a 17.47pc decline.

There were also varying fortunes for National World titles, which the Yorkshire Post circulation down 11.03pc compared to a 22.09pc drop for Sheffield daily The Star.

Table 1: Titles ranked by year-on-year change in print circulation

Table 2: Titles ranked by average daily print circulation for Jan-Jun 2023